SPECIAL: The 50 Best Superhero Movies

Many lists that are predominantly populated by modern movies feel slanted to younger writers/readers who may not have an exposure to films older than they are or a contextual understanding of their importance.

The superhero movie is a unique beast, though. A few genres and sub-genres, like sci-fi, have been greatly helped by the advance of CGI over the last quarter-century. Sci-fi was still capable of brilliance with just ideas alone, though; superhero movies lend themselves so closely to goofiness, parody, or sublime farce that the modern age of computer effects has served largely to legitimize a type of film that often wasn’t taken very seriously before the new millennium, even when they starred icons like Superman or Batman.

All of which is to say in advance not to expect many older superhero movies here. Less than a quarter of the entries on their list would be old enough to vote in most countries. But every single one, older or newer, represents a height of the ever-evolving subgenre of superhero movies (with bonus consideration awarded for influence).